Wireless-telegraph detector.



R. J. VOSBURGH.

WIRELESS TELEGRAPH DETECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.29. 1913.

1,182,946. Y Patented May .16, 1916.

mzx/

WITNESSES INVENTOP UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

Ross J. VOSBURGH, or BRooKLYN, NEW YoRK, AssIoNoR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, To SAMUEL M. KINTNER, 0E PITTSBURGH, rENNsYLvANIA, AND HALSEY M. BARRETT, or BLooME ELD, NEW JERSEY, RECEIVERS.

WIRELESS-TELEGRAPH DETECTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1916.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Ross J. VosBUnGH, a citizen of the United, States, residing at Brooklyn, in the State of New York, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Wireless-Telegraph Detectors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of socalled detectors of electromagnetic wave energy which are direct translators of such energy, consisting of electrodes having the property of changing oscillating current energy into a series of uni-directional dominant pulses.

The object of the invention is to'provide such a translating device in a form not dis turbed by minute lightning discharges or static disturbances; to avoid the necessity of continual adjustment and preserve a uniform adjustment; to provide for such a firm and unvariable contact between the electrodes as to obviate danger of becoming inoperative from mechanical vibrations, etc.; and to generally improve the construction of mountings for such good contact devices.

I have illustrated the invention in one form in the accompanying drawin which shows in Figure l a vertical centra section through the detector and in Fig. 2 a diagram of a circuit convenient for using the detector.

Wireless telegraph detectors generally are divided into imperfect contact devices which are trigger tripping devices to set off a local battery current, and good contact devices which are direct translators of received energy and do not depend upon any change of condition at the contact. one in which there is not only no variation of resistance but in which there is no such contact as could be varied, but a perfectly firm and stable joint between two materials which I have discovered to have the desired property to a very marked degree and with a perfect contact. The intimate operation or electrical phenomena of such devices are not understood, but it is known that oscillating current passing through certain substances, or the contact of certain substances with other substances, has the eifect of directly or indirectly transforming the energy My device is of the oscillating current into what amounts to virtually a uni-directional current capable of operating a telephone or the like. I have discovered that there is a peculiar eificiency in the combination of the minerals carborundum and ferro-silicon, which is more sensitive than either one of these materials alone and is plainly due to the combination, and incidentally has the advantage that they are both capable of withstanding heavy pressure without crushing. Other combinations have the advantage of sensitiveness without the ability to withstand heavy pressure; for example, ferro-silicon and antimony are very sensitive, but cannot withstand heavy pressure on account of the antimony being soft, and similarly carborundum with iron pyrites which is very sensitive but will not withstand sufliciently heavy pressure over a large area" of contact to resist static disturbances as well.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing I mount a block of ferro-silicon D in a bedding of Woods metal I in a metal cup E surrounded by insulation F and in contact through its shank E with a spring L connected in circuit. The other electrode is the block of carborundum D embedded in WVoods metal K in the hood H which is threaded to receive the screw ring G supporting the cup E and and then the cup H is inserted in the holder M. This avoids the necessity and risk of operators undertaking to adjust the device and secures uniformity with a large number of such detectors.

I have shown in Fig. 2 a diagram representing an antenna A, a variable inductance P and ground G inductively connected to a local circuit containing the condensers C, C, detector D and telephone indicator T. When extreme sensitiveness is desired I preferably insert a battery B in one of the leads from the telephone and it is partly to prevent this current flowing through the oscillating circuit that I use the extra condenser C.

I have made long and severe use of this combination of carborundum and ferrosilieon and find that it is nearly as sensitive as the well known Fessenden liquid barretter, especially when sensitized by using a small battery current through it, and that notwithstanding this sensitiveness it has such stability that it may without injury he dropped on the floor or knocked with a hammer, and holds its adjustment through static disturbances which are severe enough to spark across the protective gap ordinarily used to prevent destruction of such detectors. The eiiiciency is plainly due to the conjoint properties of the two materials and not to any property of either one alone. I have found several equivalents of this pair of elements. among which are ferro-silicon with antimony and carboriuidum with iron pyrites. The presence of iron in the combination appears to be important. though I believe it is not now known whether or not ferro-silicon is a chemical compound or whether or not carborundum is a chemical compound.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is the following:

1. A translating device for wireless telegraph receivers comprising electrodes 01 carborundum and ferro-silicon, held under good and stable contact.

2. A translating device for wireless telegraph receivers comprising telescoping screw cups containing respectively ferrosilicon and carborundum in firm and stable contact with each other, and a base or holder having electrical connections and threaded to receive one of the cups and provided with a yielding contactfor the other.

3. A wireless telegraph detector comprising a translating element composed of the two minerals ferro-silicon and carborundum permanently held together under heavy pressure and entirely inclosed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of the two subscribed witnesses.

ROSSJ. VOSBURGH.

Witnesses E1111. BIBLE, FLORENCE A. MEYER. 

